Thank you, Paddy Power!

kpnuts

Just a quick post to say thank you to Brendan, Cormac, Nikki (in alphabetical order!!!) and all at Paddy Power Poker for a very enjoyable evening last night in the Merrion.

It was a 4,000-euro freeroll, mostly for journalists, with a couple of full-time poker players and a celebrity or two ... yes, you guessed it, Ken Doherty!!!

It was held to promote a very big tourney PPP are doing with Sky Sports in the coming months, it's going to be announced officially today, I think ... it may be called the Grand Slam of Poker, I can't remember the exact details because there was a free bar all night in the Merrion!

Anyway, last night's tournament was a double chance, 35 runners each with 1.5k starting chips and you could get a further 1.5k any time during the first hour. Donnacha O'Dea was among the first to yell "Chips!" as he was all-in three times in the first 10 minutes, playing slightly looser strategy early on as it was a freeroll perhaps. I played my usual tight first hour as I found it quite hard to get reads on the players at my table and as there was a 50-euro bounty on my head (a novelty for me!), I didn't want anyone to make easy money that way. In that context, it was little surprise that nobody played with me the twice that I did make tiny raises with good hands (AA and QQ).

Still I managed to manoeuvre my way to the final table with an eminently playable 7k. It could have been more, but Donnacha had by now clearly tightened up a tad and he folded to my button reraise when I had KK with just 13 players remaining.

Also at the final table were Ken D, Donnacha, Ken's mate Mick McLean, Cormac from PPP, two Irish Daily Mirror lads, Darragh from the Sunday World and Joe from The Evening Herald.

I decided to go on the attack from the off, figuring that the less experienced players would tighten up as we got close to the money. First prize was a tasty 1,500 euro but only the top 6 were to get paid.

Blinds were now 400-800 and when Sunday World man Darragh min-raised from UTG the very first hand at the FT, I immediately went all-in from UTG+1 with AQ and he folded, telling me afterwards that he passed A6 suited.

Donnacha was eliminated next hand when his Q9 hit a 9-hi flop in an unraised pot, but his short-stack push found a caller with Ax and the caller rivered a knockout Ace!

I joined him on the rail the very next hand. Ken D raised to 2.4k in EP, one of the Mirror lads smooth called, so I reraised all-in from the BB with 99. Ken called in a flash, then so did the man from the Mirror after someone reminded him of the bounty on my head! Ken turned over AK (which I had been praying he had after he called my RR so fast) and Mirror Man had AJ. Flop came Ace-hi and Ken D made 50 euro out of my departure ... makes a change him collecting a bounty instead of having it on his head!

I would have backed Ken to win it from there, but the other Mirror man (Johnny, I think) had a big stack too. Soon they were down to three... Ken, Johnny and Cormac from PPP. Ken lost a very big chunk of chips when his AK missed against Johnny and Ken went out shortly after.

Heads-up, Johnny started as chip leader, but Cormac battled back into it and soon drew level. It all came down to one massive hand where Cormac RRed all-in with Ks2s and Johnny called with As7s. Neither improved and Johnny emerged triumphant in what was his first ever poker tournament.

All the pressmen seemed to really enjoy the night, as shown by the fact they all stayed to play a few friendly 20-euro SnGs after being KOed from the freeroll. Sunday World man Derek proved unbeatable in these, sucking out on everyone and taking particular delight from KOing Paddy Power chief Paddy Power from three SnGs in a row ... Derek also KOed me from both the SnGs that I played in!

So thanks again PPP, hope to see you all again at the Grand Slam or whatever it's called. Please put in a good word for me with your random number generator whenever the online qualifiers get going!

KP

Shortstack

And the details of the Grand Slam can be found here: Paddy Power Grand Slam

It was an enjoyable night, I went down in 11th after losing a pot that had 1/4 of the chips in play in it! Suffice it to say the guy who won that pot won the whole thing. After losing that pot I was left with 2 yellow 100 chips. Guess what hand I got next?

karlh

thanks for the report KP, twas a great night alright

played my usual ultra tight self, thought it was the only way to tiptoe through the goon-shaped raindrops as it were.

my best move of the night was passing jacks preflop, the best hand i'd seen for the duration. picked up a couple of pots to keep me on starting stack and lost 2 coinflips sending me out about 13thish.

some chit funny poker karma being handed out in the SnGs afterwards. suckouts being rewarded with suckouts!

wp Mike!

PPP-Pit Boss

Great night was had by all. Couldnt even argue at the apologetic Ken Doherty after taking most of my stack with his pocket tens. Sucked out my own SNG and decided to be ridiculously giving splitting it with second place despite sporting the Taj Mahal stack. Maybe that is why I am crap at poker... feeling sorry for my opponent does NOT HELP! Tom did well (snigger) no need so unfair pocket K's flop A/A ;0( ah well as we say (or I do) ANTES UP! PANTIES DOWN!
x

Shortstack

karlh wrote:

thanks for the report KP, twas a great night alright

played my usual ultra tight self, thought it was the only way to tiptoe through the goon-shaped raindrops as it were.

my best move of the night was passing jacks preflop, the best hand i'd seen for the duration. picked up a couple of pots to keep me on starting stack and lost 2 coinflips sending me out about 13thish.

some chit funny poker karma being handed out in the SnGs afterwards. suckouts being rewarded with suckouts!

wp Mike!

To elaborate:

Mister mini PPP pit boss managed to crack a novices Aces with K10o all in preflop with a King on the turn and a Ten on the river.

I managed to rectify this situation in an STT by hitting a 5 to go with my A234 on the river to send Karl out of the STT.

Karma was truly rounded full circle when Derek hit 3 outers against me two hands in a row on the river to reduce me from holding 50% of the chips 3 handed to 0%.

Oh yeah and I was the victim of an amazing call by a poker novice in the main event. On a board of AKQJ2 I was called down by 99:D

This left me with 1000 chips which I got in 4 way with 77 and won unimproved. Up to 14k, the hand I lost had over 30k in it when I flopped top pair with KQ on a K64 flop. Unfortunately Johnny thought calling my post flop raise with A4 was a good decision. It was when a 'safelooking 4' appeared and I moved all in when he checked to me :eek:

PPP-Pit Boss

Not the flippin 99 story again Mike :P

karlh

Shortstack wrote:

My hero Karl managed to crack a novices Aces with K10o all in preflop with a King on the turn and a Ten on the river.

oh yeah, that hand too.

i had a read. :v:

Shortstack

PPP-Pit Boss wrote:

Not the flippin 99 story again Mike :P

I will not stop until I have told everybody in the whole wide world!

Hows the head this morning?

PPP-Pit Boss

Well I fell through the door at an unholy hour and was greeted by a cat poo the size of idaho in the bath which was very pleasant indeed! Not well, I or mini pit boss!

Fatboydim

Wish I had been there Not for the cat poo bit lol.

When do qualifiers start?

Shortstack

Fatboydim wrote:

Wish I had been there Not for the cat poo bit lol.

When do qualifiers start?

What passport do you have Len? They are being very strict on not letting any Cascarino type issues occur :eek:

I qualify for an Irish one but don't have one so I can't play for the Irish team :mad:

PPP-Pit Boss

qualifiers start next week! Are you coming to Cork Len?

MadsL

Why is there only one UK qualifier?

Players can qualify online exclusively at paddypowerpoker.com for the Irish (2 Qualifiers), Northern Irish (2 Qualifiers) and England (1 Qualifier).

PPP-Pit Boss

As we can only fill one seat with a qualifier.

Fatboydim

Shortstack wrote:

What passport do you have Len? They are being very strict on not letting any Cascarino type issues occur :eek:

I qualify for an Irish one but don't have one so I can't play for the Irish team :mad:

I have an Irish passport [But being sneaky I still have a UK one too... I thought it wise after that fella they tried to nab in the North - some crim - They took away his English passport so he couldn't leave the country... All he did was use his Irish one - Not that I'm planning any criminal activity]

And Alas Nikki I have work commitments so can't make Cork this weekend. I hope to make Luton on Tuesday however so maybe I should wear my PPP T-Shirt then.:D

bohsman

When is the Swedish qualifier?

Lafortezza

PPP-Pit Boss wrote:

Well I fell through the door at an unholy hour and was greeted by a cat poo the size of idaho in the bath which was very pleasant indeed! Not well, I or mini pit boss!

Did karlh walk you home? He's such a gentleman. :v:

PPP-Pit Boss

He is! He popped my drunky sorry rear into a taxi and went off for more self destruction!

califano

PPP-Pit Boss wrote:

He is! He popped my drunky sorry rear into a taxi and went off for more self destruction!

Only because he felt guilty for crapping in your bathtub earlier;)

DeVore

re: The evening... see my sig.

re: the Event.... well for ONCE it helps that I was born in Northern Ireland! Roll on the NI Qualifiers... (when will they be Nikki?)

DeV.